


Thorns of a Heart of Darkness

by rhodrymavelyne



Category: Hannibal (TV), Shoujo Kakumei Utena | Revolutionary Girl Utena
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-23
Updated: 2020-10-23
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:54:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 342
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27158245
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rhodrymavelyne/pseuds/rhodrymavelyne
Summary: The things Clarice Starling dreams about when dozing while watching her Revolutionary Girl Utena DVDs...the Rose Bride becomes Will Graham, the lamb. Thorns come from a heart of darkness when the lamb summons them, the splintered pieces of antler every killer thinks will give him power. Only Hannibal Lecter, the devil is wise enough to know the power is in the lamb, not his thorns.
Relationships: Will Graham/Hannibal Lecter
Kudos: 6





	Thorns of a Heart of Darkness

**Author's Note:**

> This idea came from the crazy cross over notion of making Will Graham the Rose Bride from Revolutionary Girl Utena, possessing a power within him which can make every killer invincible, only with Will antlers made more sense than a sword. I can’t claim lockdown is driving me mad, only intensifying my madness. :) Nor can I claim Hannibal or Revolutionary Utena as my own, although they have a tendency to take over me from time to time. (wry grin) I also love the notion of Clarice Starling in the Bryan Fuller Hannibal universe being a bit of a fangirl and anime lover. :)

I stare at one of my favorite DVDs, an old anime, Revolutionary Girl Utena. Anthy is calling forth the sword of the Rose Castle from her breast, which Utena will be able to grasp and use against all challengers. 

Perhaps I’ve been working too hard. I find my eyes closing, I see Will Graham standing where Anthy was, only he’s not the Rose Bride. He’s the lamb, the sacrificial lamb for the forces of law and order, for every killer he profiles. 

The lamb is at his most tender and succulent when he sprouts thorns, branching out his head, torso, and body. He’s learned to control it, to spread his hands, to summon it. 

“Thorns from a heart of darkness, come forth!” It’s his devil who’s given him this confidence, the confidence to call it, not that the lamb would ever admit it.

Every predator crawls forth, lured by the lamb’s scent, but they are distracted by the antlers. Silver, shining like blades, they reflect what’s in every hungry heart, promising that heart’s desire. Is it a wonder they scrabble after the bits of broken antler, forgetting about the lamb, lying bleeding on the ground. 

The devil hasn’t forgotten him. The devil knows the power in the thorns, in each antler comes from the lamb. Without him, the thorns are nothing. The devil cradles the lamb lovingly in his arms, lifting him up and away from everyone else.

“Come with me, Will. I will comfort you from this burden, as I comfort you every night.” Hannibal Lecter whispers into the lamb’s hair. Only he’s still the devil. How can he resist the temptation to devour the lamb?

All the other lambs are starting to scream in various voices. I shudder myself awake before I can truly allow myself to hear them. 

Perhaps Will Graham chose to follow Hannibal. Perhaps a part of him is screaming. Perhaps after killing the Great Red Dragon, after going over the cliff, this is when things get truly horrifying for Will Graham. 

Horrifying along with other things.

**Author's Note:**

> The line ‘This is when things get truly horrifying for Will Graham’ is a call-back to when Will himself used this line in Apertíf, the pilot. I’ve been wanting to have Clarice Starling use the same line about Will Graham himself in a fanfic…


End file.
